Hunting the Black Dogs
by supernaturalskittlez13
Summary: Sam, Dean, and Cass have picked up a new member of their team. Rowan is a badass young hunter whose partner was lost in a misunderstanding with Castiel's followers. Angels are dicks, as Dean so wisely put it. How will she get on with Sam, Dean, and especially Cass as they go in search of a Barghest (black dog apparition) in Amity, Maine?


**First try at a SPN Fanfic. Reviews would be appreciated and please enjoy! Any suggestions?**

Sam lay sprawled on the four poster bed, face-up, staring intently at the ceiling with his arms tucked beneath his head. He was off in his own world again, exploring those thoughts which he could confide in no one. Dean had already left for the diner an hour ago, complaining the whole time about how Sam slept like freaking rock. "You can come with me." Dean had said before he left. "Sam will come when he finally gets up." Dean had yelled the 'gets up' and Sam had rolled in his sleep, but continued to softly snore in his sleep. Rowan had, however, refused, choosing instead to use the time to check inventory and clean out her 9mm Smith & Wesson SHIELD.

She had just finished checking the clip and was about click it back into place when she looked up. Seeing Sam awake and contemplating the ceiling, Rowan grabbed a pillow of the chair next to her and cocked her arm back, chucking it at Sam. The pillow hit him in the face, knocking him out of his daze. "Get up, you lazy dog!" She half yelled, half laughed. Sam sat up, rubbing his hands up and down his face, then running them through his chin-length shaggy brown hair. He fixed Rowan with a confused squint, green eyes barely visible.

"Did you just call me a dog?" he asked, pushing himself off the worn mattress. The clock on the side table read 9:40am. Rowan shoved the handgun into a holster hidden under her arm and shrugged on the black leather jacket that Dean had loaned her.

"Yes, although you're more like a very large puppy. Anyway, how would you rather have me describe you?" Rowan threw a suggestive wink in Sam's direction and tossed him a pile of clothes. "Dean got those out for you." She grabbed the black combat boots from beside the door and crouched to strap them on.

"Thanks." Sam said, pulling his grey nightshirt off and replacing it with the black one from the pile. Rowan nodded in response, rising from her crouch.

"We found a case in Amity, Maine while you were snoring the day away. We think that it is a Barghest based on the witness's account." she briefed him.

"A black dog? Those are always fun." Sam replied, dripping sarcasm.

"Yeah. it has all the markings of one, but this one seems to be different. The witness says that the dog was six feet tall. That is much larger than any barghest I have heard of. Dean said that you guys have never seen anything like it either." Rowan said frustratedly. Sam just nodded, changing into his jeans as Rowan stood at the window. She pushed aside the curtain and stared out at a clear blue Michigan sky.

"Dean wanted to leave town this morning but we couldn't get you up so instead we did a little research. Dean found the name of the man who was killed, but the witness's name was protected. The victim was a retired police officer named Daniel Thomas. Anyway, Dean left an hour ago because he got tired of waiting for breakfast." She explained, watching the cars drive by on the main road.

"We better go meet him, then." Sam replied, pulling on a pair of brown hiking boots. He shrugged on a red and white plaid button up over his black tee shirt, leaving it open. Then he grabbed his dark brown coat and layered it loosely on top. His signature Sam look. Rowan adjusted the thick straps of her black tank top and pulled her jacket over the strap that held the gun at her side. It still stuck out a little near her collarbone. Sam shoved a pistol in between the waistband of his pants and his tan, muscular back, pulling the shirt over its ridged handle.

"Let me help." he offered, closing the distance between them. Rowan shivered as Sam's fingers brushed the pale skin near her neck. He adjusted the shoulder strap to sit farther away from her neck, then pulled away, twisting the door knob. Rowan composed herself, ignoring the gooseflesh that had formed from her chest to her arm, then followed Sam outside. No surprise, Dean had taken the Impala. Luckily for Sam and Rowan, Rosie's Diner was only a few blocks away. Halfway down the second block, Rowan had a sudden realization.

"Oh, crap." she said, frowning. Sam turned toward her, concern creasing his brows.

"What is it?"

Rowan stopped walking, turning toward him. "We only booked the hotel room for last night remember? We are supposed to be out before noon." Sam frowned, nodding.

"I'll go pick us up some food and grab Dean. We can get a start on Amity today, maybe hitch up at a hotel in Cleveland and then we'll head out early tomorrow we can go interview the witness and the victim's family." Sam suggested, looking at Rowan for approval. Rowan nodded.

"And I will go back to the hotel pack up our things and make sure we get checked out. If you and Dean aren't back by 12:05 then I will steal myself a car and leave without your sorry asses." She replied, grinning. Sam saluted and laughed.

"Yes, sir!" he said in a mock army bark. Then they turned and walked in opposite directions. After about five brisk steps on the speckled concrete, Rowan looked over her shoulder.

"Oh, and Sam?" He looked back. "I won't have too much fun going through your underwear drawer." She called playfully. Sam's eyes grew wide and he swallowed hard before he nodded, turning his back to her. Rowan laughed and sped to a jog, which she held all the way bag. The wind felt good flowing through her long dark hair. By the time she reached Room 317, her cheeks were rosy and her breaths slightly ragged. "Man, I am out of shape." she muttered to herself as she stepped inside the room.

"Actually, I think your shape is quite perfect for the average female human." a low voice said from the corner. Rowan had her gun in her hand the instant she hear it and it was aimed accurately at the chair in the corner. Aimed at the pretty face of an angel of the lord.

"Damn it, Castiel!" she growled. "I almost shot you." she added irritably, shoving the gun back in its place. Cass didn't seem fazed at all. He simply rose from the chair and tugged on the flap of his tan trench coat.

"I am sorry that I startled you." he replied.

"You're just lucky that I don't carry around one of your angel sticks." Rowan teased. "What do you need?"

"I was hoping to catch Dean, but I guess you may be able to help."

"Sure. What's up?" Rowan questioned, making her way to the closet to stuff all of the jackets and suits into one of their backpacks.

"There have been several outbreaks of demon possessions all across the east coast. I think Crowley is behind them, but my assets have not been able to confirm this. I thought maybe Sam and Dean could check it out. I did not realize that you were still tagging along with them."

Was that bitterness in his voice? Rowan tried not to take it personally. She finished with the jackets and moved to the dresser and , starting with Dean's clothes, shoved them into a second backpack. "Look, Castiel, I know that I am intruding on your little clique, but I have no where else to go. In case you don't remember, my partner died in the crossfires of one of your "assets." I'm trying to move on, but you could at least try to trust me. I want to help the boys as much as you do." Rowan said as she shoved the last of Dean's things into his bag and began on Sam's.

"Where are you going?" Cass asked, eyeing the bags warily.

"The boys and I are going to Maine on a case." Rowan explained, pausing to look over a pair of Sam's boxers. "I knew he wore boxers, not briefs." She said absently, folding them and placing them in the bag. She turned toward the angel, who was now standing at her shoulder. "Then we'll check out your demon crisis."

Castiel nodded, a satisfied look on his face. "Thank you." Rowan nodded in response. Finishing with Sam's things, she zipped up the second bag and grabbed her few belongings off the floor. She placed those, along with two guns from underneath each mattress, inside a third bag, which already had most of her things in it. Castiel appeared next to her again and placed a warm hand on her shoulder. "And Rowan," he said, causing her to glance up. "You can call me Cass." Rowan caught a glimpse of a smile on the angel's face as he disappeared with a _whoosh_. Cracking a smile of her own, Rowan moved to check the bathroom.

Sam reached the diner ten minutes after his split with Rowan. When he swung open the glass door, a bell chimed above his head, alerting the staff of his presence. A middle aged woman with laugh lines curving pleasantly around lips that smiled effortlessly approached him. What can I do for ya'?" she asked, tiny creases forming at the corner of each eye as she smiled warmly. Her name tag read Mary. Sam felt a pang of sadness as he remembered his own mother and then as he thought of Jessica pinned to the ceiling, flames dancing around her panicked face.

Sam swallowed back the pain, a wedge forming in his throat. His answer came out choked. "I need….a stack of…..pancakes with powdered sugar...and bacon, and an omelet…to go please." Mary did not seem to notice, or was too nice to mention it.

"Sure thing. What's the name?"

"Sam."

Dean sat in a corner booth, chatting excitedly with a waitress when Sam walked up. The girl was leaning over the table, her cleavage nearly pouring out from her red Rosie's dress. Dean alternated between encouraging lies and slipping looks at the poor girl's exposed chest. Sam cleared his throat and the girl turned around, appraising him up and down with her deep brown eyes. "This must be your brother." she said decidedly. Then, turning to Dean, she said, "You said he was large, but…" she turned around eyes traveling around Sam again.

Sam shifted his weight uncomfortably. He was well aware that she was not implying his height. Dean rolled his eyes and sighed. After a second the waitress left and Sam sat down in the booth opposite his brother, still feeling uncomfortable.

"Thanks," Dean said irritably. "I was almost set for a night away from the hotel until you ruined my game."

"Doesn't take much to do that." Sam replied, chuckling. "Anyway, we only payed for one night at the hotel here. Rowan and I agreed that we should head out for Amity after I pick us up food. She's back at the hotel now packing up." He informed Dean, leaning back in the booth.

"She likes you Sammy." Dean replied, grinning.

"You think?" Sam prompted.

"Dude. She would rather stay at the hotel and wait for you to wake up than have breakfast with me. I even offered to let her drive the Impala, but she said she would rather wait." Sam exchanged a glance with Dean.

"Huh." Sam muttered, thinking about Rowan rifling through his underwear drawer.

"Order to go for Sam!" Mary called from the counter. Sam got up from the cushioned booth and stalked toward the counter. Dean followed at a slower gait. Offering the woman a twenty, Sam told her to keep the change and the Winchesters exited Rosie's Diner. Dean led Sam to the Impala and hopped in the driver's seat. He twisted the key in the ignition and music blared. Sam frowned in the passenger seat.

"Driver picks the music-" Dean starts, but Sam cuts him off with a hard stare.

"Yeah. I know."

Dean pulls out of the parking lot and turns left, heading down the main street in the opposite direction from the hotel.

"Dean, where the hell are you going?" Sam asked skeptically, to which Dean grinned.

"I'm all out of _magazines_." he replied. Sam checked his watch. 11:20am.

"Fine, but hurry, if we aren't back by 12:05 then Rowan said she'll hijack a car and leave without us. She'll probably take the supplies too." Sam cautioned. Dean scowled.

"She better not! My favorite pistol is there." he stated, speeding up toward the convenience store.

"Thank you." The man behind the counter said when Rowan handed him their room keys. "Do you need any help with those bags?" he asked, eyeing the two backpacks she held in her hands in addition to the one on her back. Rowan smiled as if her arms weren't falling off.

"Nope. Thanks though." she replied politely, smiling at the man. Then she turned and waddled through the lobby and out into the sun, sitting on the edge of the curb. Setting down the bags, she checked her phone for the time. 12:00. _Five minutes, boys, _she thought, smiling to herself. At 12:05 on the dot, Dean's black 67' Chevy Impala grumbled into the parking lot. Sam got out and helped Rowan load the backpacks into the trunk on top of the platform that hid their array of guns any other paranormal weapons.

"Do you want shotgun?" Sam asked, tilting his head at her. Rowan considered for a second.

"No, I'll take the back." She had already burdened them enough; the brothers at least deserved to sit together. But to her surprise, Sam nodded.

"Ok I'll sit with you." he offered. Warmth rushed to Rowan's cheeks and she ducked into the back set before Sam could see them redden.

Dean then pulled out of the parking lot and merged into the main highway leading from Michigan into Ohio. "By the way Dean, we were planning on stopping at some hotel in Cleveland." Sam said, evoking a nod from Dean.

"Sounds good."

Rowan found it hard to keep her eyes open. She hadn't slept well the past few nights. The boys hadn't noticed so far, but she knew it was only a matter of time before she woke up screaming. She tried resting her head against the cold window, but every time Dean hit a bump or turned a sharp corner, her head bounced painfully against the glass. Finally Sam placed his hand on hers and she spun toward him. As quickly as he had placed it, Sam removed his hand, leaving a tingling sensation on Rowan's skin. "You can lean on me if you want." he offered, smiling sheepishly. His face was concerned and caring, his eyebrows slightly raised in anticipation.

Smiling, Rowan leaned across the thin middle seat and rested her head in the nook between Sam's shoulder and neck. It fit perfectly. "Thanks." she replied.

"No need for you to get a concussion." Sam said, teasing. Rowan smiled and closed her eyes against the light, her dark hair falling over her face. After a few more moments she drifted off. They made good time and when Sam shook Rowan awake eight hours later, they were in Cleveland in the parking lot of Town House Motel. When Rowan opened her eyes, her head was in Sam's lap, facing his stomach and her legs were curled up on the seat. She quickly sat up.

"Sorry, I...I should have moved you away from….sorry." Sam apologized, turning the color of a red delicious apple. Rowan grinned and leaned close, whispering in his ear.

"I don't mind, as long as next time I'm awake." she replied , winking as she hopped out of the car. Dean turned, peering around the seat at Sam.

"You're going to get laid." he said grinning. Sam rolled his eyes and followed Rowan out, still pink in the cheeks. Rowan made her way to the lobby and pulled out a credit card that read Cara Simmons, another of her aliases. The boys followed, Dean grinning at Sam and Sam still rolling his eyes.

"Hello, booking a room?" the man behind the counter asked, taking the card from Rowan. She nodded, throwing a glance back at the boys, who had just walked in. The man was in his late twenties, wore spectacles and looked like he belonged in an ITT Tech Institute instead of a hotel lobby in Cleveland, Ohio.

"Yeah we need a two-bed room , preferably on ground level." Rowan explained. The man thwacked away on the keys of the computer in front of him, his face scrunching up to read the tiny type.

"It looks as if the only room we have on ground level is a one-bed room." he said apologetically. If they booked a room off of ground level, it would be hard to escape in an emergency. It simply was not an option. Sam moved forward and fixed Rowan with a sympathetic look.

"Look, Rowan, we can get a room on the second floor," Sam started.

"We can?" Dean interjected, raising his eyebrows at Sam who gave him a silencing look.

"Yes. I think-"

"No, Sam. You know it would slow us down. It isn't an option." Rowan cut him off.

"Well we can find another hotel, I think I saw one over on-"

"Sam. it's already eight fifteen and we haven't even eaten dinner yet." Rowan said. Then she turned back toward the employee signifying the end of that conversation. Dean stifled a laugh as Sam frowned. "We'll take that room please." she told him and the man typed away, swiping the card then handing it back to her along with two room keys. Rowan stashed a room key and her card in her back pocket. The extra card she passed to Dean.

When they opened the door to the room, it was nicer than expected. There was a large cushioned couch where one of the boys could sleep and a plush queen-sized bed. In the corner sat a desk and opposite that a small cushioned chair. Opening the cabinets revealed a mini fridge and a basket of water and candy bars that probably costed ten bucks each. Rowan scoffed at the candy and closed the cabinets, setting her backpack on the right side of the bed.

"So, which one of you boys is sleeping on the couch?" she asked, sitting on the edge of the bed. Dean winked at Sam, who gave him a look that said _shut up._

"I'll take the couch." Dean said, cutting a glance at Sam, who ignored him.

"I'll sleep on the floor." Sam countered.

Rowan rolled her eyes at Sam. "Don't be ridiculous, Sam. That floor is filthy. You take left, I'll take right." she said, patting the bed next to her. Sam opened his mouth to object, but Rowan spoke first. "Unless," she said, cutting a glance at Dean. "You would rather let Dean take your place." At this, Dean grinned. Sam glared at his brother and crossed the room to set his backpack on the left half of the queen bed.

"Oh, and Sam?" Rowan said, smirking. "I hope it's ok that I sleep naked." Sam's eyes widened and he stared at her. Rowan couldn't keep a straight face. She burst out laughing and Dean joined in. Patting Sam's shoulder, she sighed lightheartedly. "You should have seen your face." Sam glared at her, but he was smiling. Dean stood up, clapping his hands together.

"So, anyone for Chinese food?" he suggested, grinning like a child. Food always brought a smile to Dean's face. Especially pie, which Rowan was getting tired of having to buy for him during their outings. Regardless, she and Sam both nodded their agreement. Dean called in the order to a local Chinese restaurant while Rowan pulled off her shoes, sitting on the bed. Sam was changing into pajamas opposite her. When he pulled off his shirt, Rowan couldn't help but admire the light dancing over his muscles, creating shadows that emphasized his strength. Benefits of traveling with the brothers.

Sam kept his shirt off and changed into a pair of blue plaid pajama pants while Rowan went into the bathroom to change. She had far more to show than she'd like to show the boys, so she hadn't changed in front of them. Yet. Rowan left the bathroom wearing exercise shorts and a gray tank top that showed the top half of her black sports bra. Dean looked up when she entered, eyes trained on her chest. "It's a little hot in here for a tank top, don't you think?" he said grinning. Sam scowled, tossing a pillow at Dean and hitting him in the face.

"Leave the poor girl alone, Dean. She's been through enough, what with living with you." he said. Rowan, however, took it as a challenge.

"You know Dean, I was thinking the same thing." She said, lifting the edge of her tank top. It was at her ribs when there was a knock at the door and she dropped it. Sam, still scowling, padded barefoot over to the door and opened it.

"That will be $10.49." The girl standing behind the door was a deliverer of Chinese food. She was short and blonde and anything but Chinese. "Oh." she said, when she saw Sam, eyeing him hungrily. Rowan grabbed a wad of money and shoved past Sam, handing it to the girl.

"Thanks." Sam offered, but Rowan placed a hand on his firm chest, pushing him back inside. Then she took the food in one hand and put the other on the door.

"Keep the change." she growled, slamming the door in the girl's face. When she turned around, Sam and Dean were both staring at her open-mouthed. Dean threw a glance at Sam and started to say something. "Dean, don't you dare." Rowan warned and he closed his mouth, on the verge of laughing. Sam smiled at her apologetically.

"I don't like blondes." he said quietly, so that Rowan barely heard it.

"Give me the food." Dean ordered and Rowan shoved it at him, annoyed at his improbable hunger.  
"Dean, you eat more than a bear before hibernation." she observed, rolling her eyes and digging into a plate full of noodles. After Dean had stuffed himself to his content, which involved his eating half of Sam's meal too, he laid down heavily on the couch and dozed off; arm draped across his eyes and his mouth open for the flies. Sam crawled into bed after throwing away his trash. Rowan grabbed her rice carton, her noodle box and Dean's garbage and threw them into the small trash can in the bathroom. Then she slid in beside Sam, her leg brushing his as she settled in with her head against the fluffy white pillow.

"Sorry." she muttered, clicking off the lamp next to her side. Then she laid down on her side, facing away from the Winchester. Sam clicked off his lamp and plunged the room into darkness.

"It's fine." he replied, turning onto his side , facing he scooted closer until his chest was pressed against her back, his legs fitting in the curve of hers. Rowan sighed as his warmth crept through her tank top and secretly wished that she had taken it off before. Raising his arm out of the sheets, Sam pushed a strand of dark hair out of Rowan's face, tucking it behind her ear. His fingers brushed her cheek as he did.

"Am I….Is this ok?" Sam whispered anxiously near her ear, tickling the little hairs on her earlobe. Rowan grabbed his arm and pulled it around her side, placing his hand on her stomach so that he was holding her to him.

"This is perfect." she replied, sleep slurring her words. Sam smiled, squeezing her gently, then laying his head back down on the pillow. Then they both drifted off into their subconscious to meet Dean in the dreamworld.

**Hope you liked Chapter One! Will post more soon!**


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